Ice skate



Patented Feb. 15, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFF-ICE Application January 28,

6 Claims.

My invention relates to ice skates and it has for its object to provide an improved article of this class, and especially to provide an ice skate having a light, inexpensive, sheet metal runner attachment or shoe removably attached to the bottom of the blade thereof so that when worn out it can be replaced by a. new one at no great cost.

In the best form of my invention the blade of the skate may be unsharpened and made from unhardened iron, steel or other appropriate material which is suitably strong and substantially less expensive than the materials heretofore employed for the blades of ice skates, while the channel member or shoe may be made from hardened thin sheet metal such as steel molded into channel form so that its interior is a counterpart in shape of the lower portion of the blade to which it is applied. The attachment or shoe when made from hardened thin sheet metal molded to shape by means of dies and constructed with the snap fastener devices for holding it in position on the blade, can be conveniently and quickly removed and replaced by a new one when worn out.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure l is a side elevation of an ice skate constructed in accordance with this invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the runner attachment or shoe.

Figure 3 is a section on line 33 of Fig. 1.

Figure 4 is a section on line 33 of Fig. 1 but with the attachment or shoe omitted.

Figure 5 is an enlarged side elevation of the rear end portion of the blade of the skate shown in Fig. 1.

Figure 6 is a vertical sectional view of the rear end portion of the attachment or shoe.

Figures 7 and 8 are corresponding views of the rear end portions of the blade and attachment or shoe, respectively, illustrating a modification.

Figures 9, l0, and 11 illustrate further modifications.

The embodiment of my invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6, inclusive, is an ice skate comprising a blade l8 formed near its forward end with two posts to the upper ends of which is fixed a plate I I adapted tobe fastened, as usual, to the bottom of the forepart of the shoe of the wearer, and near its rear end with a post I2 provided at its top with a plate I3 adapted to be fastened, as usual, to the bottom of the heel of the shoe.

The blade I0 is preferably made from unhardened steel, but may be made from any other suitable material having the necessary strength and rigidity. Therefore, when thus produced the cost 1937, Serial No. 122,705

of production of the blade will be less than heretofore.

To the bottom marginal portion or runner of the blade is applied a runner attachment or shoe M which is preferably a strip of thin sheet steel molded into channel form viewed in cross-section as in Fig. 3. That is, it is formed with twooppositely disposed generally fiat side walls l5 which are parallel and, as shown in Fig. 3, fit flatwis'e against theopposite sides of theblade l0, and with a bottom wall l6 which fits against the bottom edge of the blade throughout the length of the latter.

At each end thereof the attachment or shoe is provided with an integral upstanding tongue or finger I'l formed with an aperture l8 and fitting against the said end as shown in Fig. 1. When the attachment or shoe is in position on the blade in each aperture or socket I8, Fig. 6, is occupied by a stud I9 projecting from and forming part of the blade. The outer end of each of these studs is beveled as shown in Fig. 5 for a purpose which will presently appear.

Each side wall I5 is made at its opposite ends with a tang extension which is bent inwardly on tothe adjacent finger I! to which it may be spot welded, if desired, or fastened in any other suitable manner. Or they may be left free. They serve to support and reinforce the fingers I1.

At spaced apart intervals throughout its length each side wall [5 is embossed to provide a plurality of bosses or studs 2| upon the interior thereof which are adapted to occupy complementary sockets 22 formed in opposite sides of the blade Ill.

These studs and sockets and the studs l9 and sockets l8 as well, together with the resiliency of the side walls, provide snap fastener means, partly on the blade and partly on the attachment or shoe, by which the latter is automatically locked, but removably so, to the blade, when shoved on to the latter.

After the attachment is produced as described it is hardened, and tempered also if desired, and the lower corners thereof are sharpened by grinding the tread surface and also the side walls immediately adjacent to said tread. This enhances the resiliency of the side walls and spring fingers I! so that the attachment or shoe can be quickly applied to the blade by merely shoving it on to the same. A bladed instrument such as a screw driver may be employed to pry the attachment or shoe loose when it is worn out and a new runner attachment or shoe is to be substituted.

Figures 9 and 10 illustrate an alternative construction wherein the blade I is formed upon its opposite sides with longitudinal socket grooves 23, while the interior faces of the side walls l of the attachment or shoe are formed with complementary ribs 24 which snap into the grooves 23 when the attachment or shoe is slid into position on the blade. The grooves 23 may not extend the full length of the blade of the skate and are straight from end to end, or the groove feature 23 may be used in connection with an attachment or shoe having studs 2| as shown in Fig. 3, said studs 2! then performing the same function as the ribs 24.

In Figure 11 I have shown another alternative construction wherein the attachment or shoe M has its side walls l5 made with pairs of apertures 25 to receive the opposite ends of stud pins 26. Each of these stud pins 26 is forcibly driven into a hole provided through the blade of the skate so that it is a permanent and fixed part of the latter.

What I claim is:

1. A skate having, in combination, a blade for application to the shoe of the wearer, said blade having parallel opposite side surfaces, and a runner attachment for said blade consisting of a channel member of thin spring sheet metal molded to provide oppositely disposed resilient parallel side walls fitting fiatwise directly against the opposite sides of said blade and to provide a bottom wall fitting directly against the bottom of said blade throughout the length thereof, the lower corners of said runner attachment being exteriorly sharpened, and means removably securing said attachment in position on said blade, said means comprising a plurality of sockets on one of said members and a plurality of studs on the other of said members, the latter being adapted to interlock with said sockets when the attachment is placed in position on said blade.

2. A skate having, in combination, a blade for application to the shoe of the wearer, said blade having parallel opposite side surfaces, and a runner attachment for said blade consisting of a channel member of thin spring sheet metal molded to provide oppositely disposed resilient parallel side walls fitting fiatwise directly against the opposite sides of said blade and to provide a bottom Wall fitting directly against the bottom of said blade throughout the length thereof, the lower corners of said runner attachment being exteriorly sharpened, and means removably interlocking the said side walls of the attachment with the opposite sides of said blade comprising a plurality of sockets on one of said members and a plurality of studs on the other of said members, the latter being adapted to flex the side walls apart as the attachment is applied to the blade and to automatically interlock with the socket when the attachment is fully applied to said blade.

3. A skate having, in combination, a blade for application to the shoe of the wearer, said blade having parallel opposite side surfaces, and a runner attachment for said blade consisting of a channel member of thin spring sheet metal molded to provide oppositely disposed resilient parallel side walls fitting fiatwise directly against the op posite sides of said blade, a bottom wall fitting directly against the bottom of said blade throughout the length thereof, and upstanding resilient spring fingers at the opposite ends of said bottom wall fitting against the opposite ends of said blade, the lower corners of said runner attachment being exteriorly sharpened, and means separably connecting said side Walls and spring fingers with said blade.

4. A skate having, in combination, a blade for application to the shoe of the wearer, said blade having parallel opposite side surfaces, and a runner attachment for said blade consisting of a channel member of thin spring sheet metal molded to provide oppositely disposed resilient parallel side walls fitting fiatwise directly against the opposite sides of said blade, a bottom wall fitting directly against the bottom of said blade throughout the length thereof, and resilient spring fingers at the opposite ends of said channel member fitting against the opposite ends of said blade, the lower corners of said runner attachment being exteriorly sharpened, and stud and socket snap fastener means detachably connecting said side walls and said resilient fingers with said blade thereby to hold said attachment in position upon the latter.

5. A skate having, in combination, a blade for application to the shoe of the wearer, said blade having parallel opposite side surfaces, and a runner attachment for said blade consisting of a channel member of thin spring sheet metal molded to provide oppositely disposed resilient parallel side walls fitting fiatwise directly against the opposite sides of said blade, a bottom wall fitting directly against the bottom of said blade throughout the length thereof, and resilient spring fingers at the opposite ends of said channel member fitting against the opposite ends of said blade, the lower corners of said runner attachment being exteriorly sharpened, and snap fastener means detachably connecting said side walls and said resilient fingers with said blade thereby to hold said attachment in position upon the latter.

6. A runner attachment for application to a skate blade having parallel opposite side surfaces, said attachment consisting of a thin spring sheet metal shoe molded to provide oppositely disposed resilient parallel side walls to fit fiatwise directly against the opposite sides of said blade, a bottom wall to fit directly against the bottom of said blade throughout the length thereof, and resilient spring fingers at the opposite ends of said shoe to fit against the opposite ends of said blade, and snap fastener means on said side walls, fingers and blade automatically engageable to detachably connect said side Walls and fingers with said blade to cause the same to positively hold said shoe in position upon the latter.

FRANK W. KINNEY. 

